Protesters Target Office of Hilo Dentist

The Hilo office of Dr. John Stover, which was the target of a protest today. Photo by Dave Smith.

A protest was held today in front of the office of a Hilo dentist whose patient went into a coma on March 17 while having her wisdom teeth extracted.

About two dozen people took part in the demonstration fronting the Kinoole Street office of Dr. John Stover.

Some of the signs asked for prayers for Kristen “Stenn” Tavares, the 23-year-old mother of two in critical condition on Maui, while others said “when will Dr. Stover’s offices be shut down!!!”

According to her fiancé, Chauncey Prudencio, who organized the protest, Tavares remains on life support at Maui Memorial Medical Center.

The scene of today’s demonstration. Photo by Dave Smith.

Prudencio said Tavares went into Stover’s office to have four wisdom teeth removed. Three-quarters of the way through the procedure, she apparently went into cardiac arrest.

Prudencio told Big Island Now that her prognosis “doesn’t look good.”

Prudencio said he organized the demonstration to draw attention to the fact that Stover, who also does cosmetic surgery, is still operating his offices in Hilo, Kona and Waimea despite a variety of complaints filed with state regulators against him.